Being positive reduces the Risk of Heart Attack…

Having a positive attitude to life can reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke, a major review of research has found

People who enjoy simple pleasure of life and have a sunny disposition and positive outlook on life are less likely to get the heart attacks and strokes- says researchers from Harvard school of public health- The Telegraph daily.The earlier studies have shown that negative states such as depression, anxiety and stress increases the risk of falling sick and is also found detrimental to heart. yet, very less is known about how positive emotions affect heart health.In the first and largest systematic review on this topic to date, Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that positive psychological well-being appears to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events.

Study

Researchers examined 200 separate research studies which looked as psychological wellbeing and cardiovascular health. Each of the 200 research papers studied in slightly different emotional states using questionnaires and assessments to score individuals' characteristics and outlooks.They measured the extent to which individuals consider themselves a happy or unhappy person, satisfaction with their life and the extent to which they experience pleasurable feelings.

FindingsLead author Julia Boehm, research fellow in the Department of Society, Human Development and senior author Laura Kubzansky, associate professor of society, human development, and health at HSPH, found that psychological assets, like optimism and positive emotion afford protection against cardiovascular disease. Researchers also noted that these factors slow the progression of disease as well.

To further understand how psychological well-being and CVD might be related, researchers also investigated well-being's association with cardiovascular-related health behaviours and biological markers. They found that individuals with a sense of well-being engaged in healthier behaviours such as exercising, eating a balanced diet, and getting sufficient sleep. In addition, greater well-being was related to better biological function, such as lower blood pressure, healthier lipid (blood fat) profiles, and normal body weight.

The findings were published online in Psychological Bulletin.

Author’s view"The absence of the negative is not the same thing as the presence of the positive. We found that factors such as optimism, life satisfaction, and happiness are associated with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease regardless of such factors as a person's age, socioeconomic status, smoking status, or body weight."For example, the most optimistic individuals had an approximately 50 per cent reduced risk of experiencing an initial cardiovascular event compared to their less optimistic peers."It is thought that a positive attitude to life makes people more resilient to stress and helps them recover more quickly after things like preparing for a speech, the researchers said.

If future research continues to indicate that higher levels of satisfaction, optimism, and happiness come before cardiovascular health, this has strong implications for the design of prevention and intervention strategies. "These findings suggest that an emphasis on bolstering psychological strengths rather than simply mitigating psychological deficits may improve cardiovascular health," Kuzbansky said.